MadSci Network: Chemistry
Query:

Re: HOW & WHY DO DIFFERENT CONCENTRATION OF THE ENZYME AMYLASE EFFECT THE DIGE

Date: Sun Feb 6 15:09:35 2000
Posted By: Kevin Ramsey, Staff, Speciality Sweeteners, Chr. Hansen, Inc.
Area of science: Chemistry
ID: 949423605.Ch
Message:

The orderly structure of starch granules breaks up when they are held in 
hot water.  At first they swell and then they gelatinize, that is the 
granules rupture, and the components disperse. Starch is a mixture of two 
polysaccharides, amylose and amylopectin, each of which is a mixture of 
chains of various lengths, all of high molecular weight.  Most of the 
characteristics of starch degredation process can be explained in the 
terms of the activities of two enzymes: alpha amylase and beta amylase.  
Alpha amylase, acting on its own, is able to degrade starch to a complex 
mixture of sugars (including glucose and maltose), oligosaccharides and 
dextrins.  This degradation occurs more rapidly if beta amylase is 
present.  Whenever a starch chain is broken by alpha amylase, a new non-
reducing chain end of the starch chain is formed and will be attacked by 
beta amylase.  So since alpha amylase can cleave chains on either side of 
the starch molecule it can "by-pass" branches that beta amylase could then 
degrade these chains.  Therefore, acting together, these enzymes degrade 
starch more rapidly and fully.
It is this concept that can explain why an elivated amylase enzyme 
concentration (both alpha and beta) would cleave down starch molecules 
rapidly.


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